Author

Michael Arbeiter

Staff editor Michael Arbeiter’s natural state of being can best be described as “mild panic attack.” His earliest memories of growing up in Queens, New York, involve nighttime conversations with a voice from his bedroom wall (the jury’s still out on what that was all about) and a love for classic television that spawned from the very first time he was allowed to watch “The Munsters.” Attending college at SUNY Binghamton, a 20-year-old Michael learned two things: that he could center his future on this love for TV and movies, and that dragons never actually existed — he was kind of late in the game on that one.

I firmly believe that as long as Robert Redford keeps making movies, the apocalypse will hold off. The man-formerly-known-as-Sundance is set to direct and star in The Company You Keep alongside Shia LaBeouf. Adapted by Lem Dobbs from the Neil Gordon novel, the story is in the vein of the traditional man-on-the-run formula. Redford's hero will be a militant renegade wanted by the FBI, freshly above ground after three decades of avoiding the radar thanks to the tireless efforts of an up-and-coming reporter in the form of LaBeouf.
The pairing of iconic stars of older and newer generations is always an interesting feat. Both Redford and LaBeouf have earned a lot of notoriety and praise. Their interesting and dissimilar styles, resultant both from individual learnings and generational differences in the approach to the craft, will likely contribute to an intriguing film.
Source: Variety

The Love We Make, a feature-length documentary concerning the immediate aftermath of 9/11 in New York City, will debut on Showtime on September 10, one day before the ten-year anniversary of the attacks. Paul McCartney will play the focal role in the film. The events documented will include his personal experiences of being in New York City on September 11, as well as the benefit concert with which McCartney was involved in planning and performing.
A list of big name celebrities will appear alongside McCartney in the documentary, including musicians David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crowe, Mick Jagger, Jay Z, Billy Joel, Elton John and Keith Richards, actors such as Steve Buscemi, Leonardo DiCaprio and Harrison Ford, and political figures such as Governor George Pataki and President Bill Clinton. Directing The Love We Make are Albert Maysles and Bradley Kaplan.
Showtime will air the documentary at 9 p.m. on September 10.
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Two of the most anticipated new characters for Game of Thrones' second season have been cast. Dutch actress Carice van Houten will take on the ambitious role of Melisandre: a powerful and seductive sorceress whose ultimate goal is to impart upon humanity her religion. Van Houten will play close to her fellow newcomer to the series, British actor Stephen Dillane, who will be taking on the character Stannis Baratheon. Stannis' character is the humorless younger brother to the late King Robert, and is determined to a fault to obtain the Iron Throne. Melisandre will act as an adviser to Stannis in his quest to obtain the throne.
Most familiar to American audiences among Carice von Houten's past works are Valkyrie and Repo Men. Furthermore, you might recognize Dillane from his role as Thomas Jefferson in the HBO miniseries, John Adams.
These roles that van Houten and Dillane are taking on are certainly not light ones. In addition to simply commanding a large sum of screen time, the duo will strive to live up to the strength and captivation of their literary counterparts.
Source: InsideTV

It has long been Law &amp; Order: SVU's M.O. to borrow story inspiration from international news. Naturally, a story as severe as the scandal surrounding Schwarzenegger's secret son (I'll spare you further alliteration) would be a treasure trove for a series focal on illicit sexual affairs. Of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger did not break any laws by cheating on his wife; that's where the writers come in.
The true nature of what the sex crime will be in the episode surrounding the Raines family (comprised of Andrew Raines—a celebrated philanthropist, derivative of Schwarzenegger—his wife Kathleen, and an illegitimate son, Tripp) has not yet been revealed for the episode which will broadcast early in the program's 13th season. This kind of high-profile case is just what will draw in the viewers, what with the loss of the beloved Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and the gradual fade-out of Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). The season will premiere September 13.
Source: TVLine

A new clip from Rise of the Planet of the Apes is available, previewing an intense scene from the upcoming film. Introduced by Andy Serkis, the clip depicts the turmoil of being overcome simultaneously by both human emotions and animal instincts. We also get a glimpse of John Lithgow's performance as an aging man dealing with Alzheimer's along with the ape, Ceaser, monkeying around with his neighbor.
And for Apes buffs, keep your eyes peeled at the 1:20 mark for a sly nod to the original Planet of the Apes. Maybe it wasn't Earth all along...again...
Source: Comingsoon

Daniel Radcliffe visited The Daily Show last night to ruminate over the end of the Harry Potter franchise and answer the questions of professional Quidditch players.
The Daily Show - Daniel Radcliffe Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor &amp; Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Jimmy Fallon had Mila Kunis on Late Night to discuss her upcoming film, Friends with Benefits. Kunis also touched upon the "boring" Ukraine and her obsession with television.
Bryan Cranston stopped by Conan to discuss his unusual wardrobe on Breaking Bad, and to deliver a snack and a business proposition to Conan and Andy.
Finally, Jay Leno invited Neil Patrick Harris to The Tonight Show to talk about his "fake ID years" and a magic trick gone awry.

A new clip from Conan the Barbarian is available to give us an early look at the upbringing of the epic warrior. After showing up late to Barbarian class, a young and sparky Conan (Leo Howard; played by Jason Momoa in adulthood) proves himself the hero by taking on a team of knife-wielding savages. The surplus of blood might make this video NSFW and hard-to-watch for those of us not entirely desensitized to gratuitous violence.

The heavily appreciated X-Men: First Class is taking the form of Blu-Ray and DVD come September 9. The origin story of the rivalry between Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender). But if you're reading this, then you don't need someone like me telling you X-Men lore. The Blue-Ray/DVD set is available with both Xavier and Magneto cover art, and comes with four hours of special features, ten digital comics (some material is previously unseen), and an interactive "Cebero Mutant Tracker" video database. Additionally, those who order the set at Comic-Con will receive two promotional t-shirts. Front/back views of the shirts are visible below.
Source: Comingsoon

S02E04: The latest episode of The Big C, set appropriately on Halloween (which, despite the show’s location of Minnesota, seems to be a beautiful day), attempts to push each of its characters to his or her breaking point. The notoriously stable—at least on the outside—Cathy begins the episode in her standard optimistic, humorous demeanor. She looks forward to her clinical trial with eagerness. Paul, on the other hand, is shaken up about his wife’s condition, demands from his own comically ambiguous job, and the holiday in question: Halloween apparently something Paul—who has come a long way from the motorcycle-riding borderline-alcoholic in a static adolescence to whom we were introduced at the beginning of Season One—finds frivolous and idiotic (and clearly, scary). Meanwhile, Adam deals with unwanted compassion from Emily, the classmate with whom he has been cheating on his girlfriend, and Sean thinks he’s losing his mind when he surmises that the deceased Marlene is haunting his house.
“Those are some hairy strands of DNA our shithead parents tried to stream together.” – Sean
This moment in the episode is the beginning of the tipping point for Cathy. Her optimism comes from the presence of a concrete plan—but everything about this strange guy (a fellow member of the clinical trial), who later on claims to be a devout Buddhist despite his clearly sadistic sense of humor, represents the fact that she’s not in control. He dives in front of her car and mocks her in front of the other patients. Around this time, Cathy has booted Paul from the trial waiting room due to his negative energy, and has begun to realize that she’s a lot more lost than she thought. She calls him when she discovers she lacks an insurance form necessary to start the trial, but he is busy (after an excessively Sorkinian walking-scene with his coworker) getting fired—this is his tipping point, naturally, and hopefully the root of some good storylines to come. At the trial, Cathy begins flipping out and finally wins the sympathy of the Buddhist, who explains to her that everything is working out the way it’s supposed to, just not the way she wanted or expected it to. The next day, her trial begins, and she seems to have taken comfort in the company of the Buddhist, who is seen undergoing a text beside her—and, in a gesture of kinship, offers her an earphone.
Adam’s story, albeit brief, does also give hope for something worthwhile in the future. He snaps at a bully in class, and then at Emily for offering him sympathy, telling her that she means nothing to him (causing her to snap, as well). Adam has been succinctly wasted as a human being thus far—it didn’t even seem like he was in denial, he just seemed to be in a show that didn’t involve a mother with Stage 4 melanoma. But now, it seems like he might be beginning to slip. Hopefully, this transforms into something organic.
This episode left us with a few things to consider: where will Paul’s unemployment take him and Cathy? What next will we see of Adam’s latent emotional turmoil? Will Sean ever redeem himself as a character?

The Mentalist’s Amanda Righetti is hopping on the Marvel bandwagon. Reportedly, she’ll have a small but notable role in the heavily anticipated film The Avengers. At this time, Righetti could be accepting one of two roles: the first, and more likely, is that of SHIELD Agent Sharon Carter (whose aunt, Peggy Carter, will be portrayed by Hayley Atwell in Captain America: The First Avenger). The other role would be of superhero Ms. Marvel (secret identity: Carol Danvers).
Amanda Righetti may not be a household name, but since the development of her character on The Mentalist, the actress has earned a few more film roles. 2011 has so far seen her in The Chateaux Meroux and Cats Dancing on Jupiter. Currently in development is a thriller called Shadow in which Righetti will star.
As just about everyone will be seeing The Avengers, one can surmise that her appearance there—even in a smaller role—will afford her an even greater amount of recognition.
The Avengers hist theaters May 4, 2012 and will (most likely) make some sort of appearance at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
Source: Indiewire